Pressure-tight stopcock adapter



June 16, 1953 B. M. STONE ETAL 2,542,258

PRESSURE-TIGHT STOPCOCK ADAPTER Filed Dec. 15, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTORS AZsWrRA/VM 570/15 y 045/? /gMo/vr Mg WM.

' ATTdFA/E'y Patented June 16, 1953 Bertram M. stone and Ito N. Y.,assignors to Th gerGilmont, Brooklyn, e Emil Greiner Company,

New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 15,1948, Serial No. 65,355

The invention here disclosed is an adapter for' I converting ordinarystopcocks to pressure-tight operation.

Particularly it is concerned with the glass stopcocks such as used bylaboratory workers.

The general objects of the invention are to enable an ordinary stopcockto be quickly and easily converted to a pressure-tight stopcock whichwill be vacuum-tight as well as leakproof, adapting it for these specialuses for burets, gas sampling, measuring apparatus and the like,

Special objects of the invention are to accompllsh all this with asimple, practical and inexpensive form of device which maybe readilyapplied bythe laboratory operator and which when so applied will bewholly eiiective, reliable and durable.

Further special objects of the invention are to provide this adapterconstruction ina form consisting of but few parts and taking up butsmall space so that it may be applied and used in all places Where apressure-tight stopcock may be desired. v

Other desirable objects and the novel features of construction,combination and arrangement of parts through which the'purposes of theinvention are attained are set forth'or will appear in the course of thefollowing specification.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specificationillustrate certain present commercial embodiments of the invention.Structure and arrangement, however, may be modified and changed, allwithin the true intent and broad scope of the invention, as hereinafterdefined and claimed. i

Fig. 1 in the drawings is a perspective view showing an ordinary glassstopcock with the end washer removed and the separated parts of theadapter in the relation they are attached to the stopcock;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken sectional view of the valve structure andattached adapter.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation, and Fig. 4 a broken & Claims. (Cl. 251112)sectional view of a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 5 i an enlarged cross section on substantially the plane of line 55 of Fig. 4.

In the illustrations there is shown a glass stop-1 cock of conventionaldesign embodying a valve body or shell 3 having a tapered valve seat 4extending therethrough, rotatably receiving the tapered valve plug '5.

The latter is shown as having an operating.

handle 6 at the outer, operating end and as having the smaller endportion of the same 1, projecting beyond the'inner end of the valve.body andprovided with an 2, annular groove 8 approximately in line withthe end of the valve body.

Normally in this type of valve a rubber or other washer engaged in thisgroove serve to retain the valve plug in its seat.

In the present invention use is made of the last described features ofconstruction to apply a force for holding th plug seated pressure-tightin the valve body.

Specifically there is provided a clutch element shown in the form of anannulus 9 to surround the extended end portion 1 of the valve plug andhaving an annular flange ID at the inner end of the same to enter theannular groove 8.

To enable engagement of thi clutch collar over the end of the valveplug, it is shown as made in relatively separabl parts, produced in thefirst illustrated example, Fig. l, by longitudinally splitting the sameas indicated at I l.

The longitudinal pull required to hold the valve firmly in its seat isapplied in the first illustration by forming the clutch collar with alongitudinally extended stem 12, screw threaded at 13 to receive thetensioning and locking nuts l4, l5, whichserve to provide the outerabutment for the valve holding spring [6.

The latter is shown as surrounding the stem portion of the clutch sleeveand as interposed between the inner abutment nut It and the closed orflanged outer end I! of the abutment collar l8, surrounding the splitclutch sleeve and bearing against the end of the valve body.

In this fashion the expansion force of the spring as applied against theend of the valve body is utilized to draw the valve lug longitudinallyinto and hold it firmly seated in the valve body, and this withoutinterfering with free, intended rotation of the valve plug.

The magnitude of this holding force may be determined by adjusting theabutment nut l4 and when the desired tension is attained it may befixedat this point by tightening the lock rout 5. The clutch collar may turnwith the valve plugor may remain stationary while th plug rotates, theannular form of connection between the valve plug and clutch collar at8, It, allowing for such operation.

The abutment sleeve I8 is free to rotate and so under certain conditionsmay turn with the valve p fid without the need of any tools, to anyordinary stopcock of the type here under consideration.

The adapter keeps the valve leakproof under any and all conditions ofpressure and vacuum and is of advantage further in acting as a dragto'guard against accidental turning and to hold,

the valvein any position to which it may have been carefully adjusted.

The one-piece form of construction of the,

clutch collar and screw stem is for many purposes preferred. The splitat H does not extendethe;

full length of the screw stem, leaving the parts integrally connectedbut freeto be laterally:

opened and closed into engagement over the grooved end of the valveplug.

The abutment sleeve, when misplaced-over. the clutch sleeve, preventsthe latter fromgopen-r in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the screw is made up asanelement separate from the clutch collar and the latter is made in twosemi-annular segments engageable laterally. over the head of the screwand about the grooved end of the valve plug.

The two separate segments of .the clutch collar are illustrated at So,having inwardly directed flange segments 10a at their inner ends enteredin the groove 8 of thevalve plug, and inwardly extending flange segments28 at-their outer ends engaged about the shank portion 2| of the screw22 and providing an abutment for the head 23 of such screw.

To hold the screwin non-rotatable relation to the clutch segments, saidscrew is'shown as having a transverse pin 24 driven therethrough anddisposed in the gap 25, Fig.-5,between the opposing edges of the clutchsegments. a 7

The shank portion 2I- of the screw may-be annularly grooved as indicatedat 26 in Fig. 4,- directly in back of the head 23, to receive the inneredges of the flange segments 20, thus-to hold the screw in position withthe cross pin-24 engaged inthe slot 25 between the companion segments.This is toaid in assembling the parts.

The abutment sleeve l8, when it is applied over the screw and clutchsegments, retains the parts in properly assembled relation, the same asin the first described form of the invention.

By making the screw separate from the clutch collar as last described,several advantages are attained. In particulanthe same size screw may beused for any numberof difierent size adapters. The clutch segments 9amay be made up in duplicate parts inexpensively stamped out of sheetmetal for different size valve plugs. This two-part clutch collar may beconsidered as easier to assemble since the companion clutch members areentirely separate and may be put on independently over the oppositesides of the valve plug.

Whatisclaimedis:

1. In combination with a stopcock includinga valve body and a valve plugjournaled therein and having an end portion projecting beyond the end ofthe valvebody and provided with an annular groove, a pressure-tightadapter for contti g. he. ame-t p s e-t ht operation; pfii ll a 1 1 111 1. havin a inwardly sn in t ni r eng ement lat e plug, an abutmentsleeve surrounding said clutch collar arranged to bear against the endof the valve body, said sleeve having an abutment wall at the outer endof the same beyond the clutch collar, a screw element extending from theclutch collarbeyond. said abutmentwall, an abutment nut on theouter endof saidscrew element and a valve seating spring about said screw elementbetween said abutment wall and abutment nut, said clutch collar beingmade in separate, companion parts independently engageable over theopposite sides,of the valve plug and said screw elementbeing separatefrom said clutch parts and havinga head held between the companion l5clutch parts.

:2.In:combination with a stopcock including a valvebody and a valve plugjournaled therein and having an end portion projecting beyond the end ofthe valve body and provided with an annular groove, apressure-tightadapter for converting the same to pressure-tightoperation; comprising,

' a clutch collar having an inwardly extending ;,,portion forengagement'in the annular groove in the projecting end portion of thevalve plug, an

abutment sleeve surrounding said clutch collar arranged to bearagainstthe end of the valve body, said sleeve having an abutment wall at theouter end of the same beyond the clutch collar, a screw elementextendingfrom the clutch 30 collar beyond said abutmentv wall, an abutment nut onthe outer endof said screw element and a valve seatingspring about saidscrew element between said abutment wall and abutment nut,

said clutch. collar beingmade in. separate, companion partsindependently engageableover the opposite sides ofthe valve plug andsaid screw element being. separate from. said clutch parts and having ahead held betweenthe companion. clutch parts and said .screw. elementhaving a transverse key disposedbetween the opposing segments of saidclutch collar.

3. In combination with a, stopcock includinga valve body and .avalveplug journaled therein and havin anendportion projecting beyondthe.

end of the valve bodyand providedwith an an,-.

nular groove, a-pressurestightadapter for con verting the sameto-pressureetight operation, comprising a clutch.collar.,having an.inwardly extending portion for ,engagementin the annular groove in theprojecting end portion of the valve.

plug, an abutmentsleeve surrounding said clutch collar arranged to ,bearagainst .the end otthe valve body, said sleeve having :an abutment-.wall. ,at the outer endof the same beyondthe clutch collar,ascrewelement extending from the clutch.v

collar beyond said abutment wall, anabutment. nut on the outer endofsaidscrew elementand a valve seating spring about said screw elementbetween said abutmentwall andrabutment. nut,

said clutch collar. being. ,ofsegmental construed:

tion with the segmentsotthe same relatively separable .to be. engagedlaterally about the. end

of the valve plug and said screw element being. 2...;

screw engaged between said laterally separable 85 sections of theclutch, collar.

groove, a pressure-tight adapter for converting.

the same to pressure-tight.operation, comprising a clutch collar havingan inwardlyextending por-Q tion for engagement in the annular groove inthe. .projecting: end portion of thevalveiplug, an .abuter groove intheprojecting end portion of the valve ment sleeve surrounding saidclutch collar arranged to bear against the end or the valve body. saidsleeve having an abutment wall at the outer end of the same beyond theclutch collar, a screw element extending from the clutch collar beyondsaid abutment wall, an abutment nut on the outer end of said screwelement and a valve seating spring' about said screw element betweensaid abutment wall and abutment nut, said screw element beingtransversely grooved and said clutch collar being in transverselyseparable segments having inwardly extending segmental flanges at theouter end of the same engaged in the transversely grooved portion ofsaid screw.

BERTRAM M. STONE. ROGER GILMONT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES EATENTS

